2 Kings xxiii. 25. ^nd like unto him was there no king before hhn, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the laio of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him.
THIS is the character given of King Josiah. A similar eulogium had been passed on his progenitor, Hezekiah ; of whom it is said, " He trusted in the Lord God of Israel ; so that after him was none like him of all the kings of Judah, nor any that were before him^." But there is nothing contrary in the
^ 2 Kings xviii. 5.
two accounts: each of these persons had his pecu- Har excellencies, in which he surpassed all others: Hezekiah was distinguished (as the words cited in- timate,) for his confidence in God ; and Josiah, as our text informs us, for his zeal and piety. No person, merely human, was ever perfect, since the introduction of sin into the world. There have indeed been bright characters, who have reflected with great lustre and fidelity some rays of " the Sun of righteousness ;" but of Christ alone can it be said, that " He is light, and in him is no dark- ness at all."
The character here given of Josiah is as exalted as any that was ever ascribed to fallen man : and, for the purpose of illustrating it, we propose to mark some of the chief features of which it was composed.
I. He began to serve God at a very early period of life—
[At eight years old he began to reign : and no sooner did he arrive at years of discretion, than he began seriously and devoutly to serve the Lord^'. At sixteen years of age, when it might have been expected that he should be studious only of pleasure, he turned from earthly vanities to seek his happi- ness in God : and at twenty years of age, when it is probable he began to exercise without control his regal office, he set himself to reform the whole nation. Not fearing the face of man, he stemmed the torrent of iniquity which had over- whelmed the land ; and devoted to the service of his God all the powers with which he was invested.
This was doubtless most pleasing to God, who required by the law that the first-fruits of man and beast should be his, and who has given a peculiar promise to those who seek him in early life ; " They that seek me early shall find me." Happy would it be if all or us began at the early age of sixteen to serve the Lord ; and if from that period every talent committed to our care were improved for God ! How much better this, than to be wasting our youthful days in sin and vanity ! True, we have not all the same authority as he ; but all in our respective spheres should exert ourselves to the utmost of our abiHty ; remembering, that if youth labours under some dis-
^ 2 Chron. xxxiv. 3.